Blackhawks complete season sweep of Mammoth as Frank Nazar keeps surging

SALT LAKE CITY — For months, the Blackhawks longed for second-year forward Frank Nazar to get hot again. Now, they’re getting their wish.

Another two-point game by Nazar helped the Hawks rally past the Mammoth 3-2 in overtime Thursday.

The victory completed an unlikely four-game season-series sweep of the likely playoff-bound Mammoth, including three wins in the last two weeks. It’s the Hawks’ first sweep against a division foe since 2016-17 against the Stars.

"Every game we play these guys is pretty intense and pretty good hockey, so it feels great to beat them every time," Connor Bedard said. "We don't like them; they don't like us. So it's a good feeling."

Both of the Hawks' cornerstone forwards recorded one goal and one assist Thursday.

Nazar's goal gave the Hawks a brief lead in the third period, then Bedard's goal decided the game in overtime. He tapped a loose puck in behind baffled Mammoth goalie Karel Vejmelka to complete a cathartic night at the Delta Center.

For Nazar, he now has eight points in his last five games, exceeding his point total from December, January and February combined. This stretch includes three multi-point outings and a dramatic overtime winner Monday at the United Center.

With 32 points in 49 games this season, Nazar is now tied for third in the Hawks' scoring race and producing at a 54-point pace over 82 games, which isn't too shabby for a 22-year-old.

"[Frank's] play has warranted the opportunities he’s getting," coach Jeff Blashill said. "He’s skated hard; he’s won more puck battles. [The] big thing for him is just making sure he has the puck a lot — and when he has it, to skate with it.

"How do you have the puck? You win puck battles and then you don’t give it away. And when you have it, you've got to attack with it. He’s shown more of that skating with the puck and being a weapon with his speed."

Series experience

Bedard showed off his fiery side, going back and forth with Mammoth defenseman MacKenzie Weegar before staring down a loud-mouthed Mammoth fan after setting up a Tyler Bertuzzi goal. He said he sensed Monday that emotions were ramping up in this matchup.

Blashill contested that this experience didn't quite compare to a playoff series, but it did give the young Hawks a small taste of what that could be like in the future.

"They see what the pre-scouts kind of look like, stuff like that," Blashill said. "It’s a decent look at it."

Goalie Spencer Knight, returning from a three-game absence because of illness, looked extremely sharp, making 29 saves — including a couple huge ones on Clayton Keller and JJ Peterka in the third period. He said he had been "knocked out for three days [with] no moving, no eating."

Defenseman Wyatt Kaiser appeared to injure his left shoulder late in regulation. Blashill declined to clarify if he'll be available Saturday against the Golden Knights.

Korchinski conundrum

Blashill hasn’t shown much faith yet in defenseman Kevin Korchinski, perhaps with good reason. His lack of strength — still a problem in his third pro season — makes him a poor fit for Blashill’s defensive system.

Davidson, however, continues to defend Korchinski — whom he said has “a ton of upside, a ton of ability” — and to preach patience about his development.

Davidson said he still thinks ‘‘playing big minutes’’ in Rockford is more valuable for Korchinski than popping in and out of the Hawks’ lineup. He has made only four NHL appearances this season.

Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro, who also has made only four NHL appearances this season, will lose their waiver exemptions this summer and presumably will need to be full-time NHL defensemen next season. It will be interesting to see whether Korchinski’s performance in training camp in September can make Blashill comfortable with that reality.

Both also are pending restricted free agents, so it will be telling to see what their second contracts look like. The deal Lukas Reichel signed in 2024 — two years at a $1.2 million salary-cap hit — might provide a blueprint.